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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27131767">penny for your thoughts?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/creveli/pseuds/creveli'>creveli</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Clone High</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Gen, Kinda, Mild Hurt/Comfort, abe realizes his mistakes, mr b is a therapist, this has spoilers for the last episode!!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:47:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,115</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27131767</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/creveli/pseuds/creveli</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When he wakes up, he doesn’t know what’s going on. I mean, usually that’s how he is: clueless 24/7, unlike his clone father and 16th president of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln. He doesn’t mind, mostly. Some people found it endearing, while others found it absolutely frustrating.</p><p>But being clueless can be terrifying, especially when the last thing you remember is seeing your best friend turned crush sleeping with the most popular jock in high school while your girlfriend (or better yet, ex girlfriend,) yells at you in the background. All of a sudden, though, it had stopped and now, now he was in… a hospital?</p><p>What the hell was going on?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>penny for your thoughts?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>once again im stating this is going to have spoilers!!! this takes place after the prom, where abe wakes up in the hospital and mr butlertron becomes his therapist essentially. idk why i feel kind of attached to abe but i feel like people are really harsh on him. i wrote this to kind of flesh out his character and humanity</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When he wakes up, he doesn’t know what’s going on. I mean, usually that’s how he is: clueless 24/7, unlike his clone father and 16th president of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln. He doesn’t mind, mostly. Some people found it endearing, while others found it absolutely frustrating.</p><p> </p><p>But being clueless can be terrifying, especially when the last thing you remember is seeing your best friend turned crush sleeping with the most popular jock in high school while your girlfriend (or better yet, ex girlfriend,) yells at you in the background. All of a sudden, though, it had stopped and now, now he was in… a hospital?</p><p> </p><p>What the hell was going on?</p><p>-----------</p><p>“-LOVE YOU!” Abe shoots up in his bed, shouting out to what he last recalled was Joan, but now was in an empty hospital room.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello, Abraham.”</p><p> </p><p>Scratch that, it had one person… or well, one robot. Nevertheless, Abe shivers at the vice principal saying his full name. </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t call me that, Mr. Butlertron. It’s… weird! And speaking of weird… what the hell is going on?! Where am I, am I dead?! I-”</p><p> </p><p>Mr. B reaches an arm up and pinches his mouth shut. “Please shut up. You are in the hospital, Abe. You are not dead yet,” he says, robotic tone making Abe strangely a little calmer.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I get <em>that</em>, but why am I in the hospital? Where… Where’s Gandhi a-and Joan-<br/><br/></p><p>He smacks a hand to his forehead, memory suddenly coming back to him at an unforgiving speed. Shit, Joan! He was just confessing to her and she… she was in bed with… JFK?! Of all people! Oh, God, and right in front of Cleo, too! He hides his face in his hands, too embarrassed to face the messed up.</p><p>“Ghandi and Joan are oka-a-ay,” he says, unfazed by Abe’s sudden realization and panic. “They are here, too, but uninju-u-ured, like you.”</p><p> </p><p>Abe lifts his sunken head from his hands, opening his mouth to ask what is now the scariest question.</p><p> </p><p>“And.. And Cleo?”</p><p> </p><p>Mr. B twitches a little, clearly hesitant to answer him, but does nonetheless. “She is ok, to-o-o-o. She left, but told me to tell you that ‘she hopes you rot in effing He-e-ell like your clone father,’” he says, nervously looking away and tapping his robotic hands together. </p><p> </p><p>Abe winces at the harsh message, mentally kicking himself for the absolute stupid decision he made. He got so caught up in his feelings that he just… ran with it. He didn’t want to hurt her, but… isn’t denying your feelings wrong?</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, Mr. B fishes around in his shirt pocket, looking for something. Abe breaks away from his miserable self pitying and looks over at the vice principal, quirking a brow. It’s a couple moments before he smiles and pulls out… a penny? </p><p> </p><p>“Penny for your tho-o-oughts?” He holds the penny out towards the clone, who frowns and turns away, arms crossed.</p><p> </p><p>“You aren’t my therapist,” he huffs, looking out of the corner of his eye to see the butler unfazed as ever. “I don’t need to talk about my.. feelings or whatever.”</p><p> </p><p>“It might he-e-elp you. I can tell you are tro-o-oubled,” he says, which somehow shocks Abe.</p><p> </p><p>“How… How could you tell by just- are you a mind reader?” </p><p> </p><p><em>Oh boy</em>, Lynn thinks. <em>This will be difficult. </em></p><p> </p><p>“No, I am merely observant. You seem upset, Abe,” Mr. B says, wheeling closer towards his bed. He sits in the neighboring chair and continues to look at Abe, waiting for him to say something. </p><p> </p><p>Abe swallows, slightly nervous. He’s never really talked with the vice principal because, honestly, he was kind of afraid of him. What a creepy robot, he first thought. But… maybe he wasn’t so bad? Maybe he could actually help him.</p><p> </p><p>“Well… I did something kinda… silly,” he says, darting his gaze away as he uncomfortably rubs the back of his neck. “At prom, I was going to uh, have S-E-X with Cleopatra, but…” he sighs, looking down in shame. “I chickened out. Even worse, I started developing feelings for my best friend, Joan of Arc… N-Not that i-it’s bad to develop feelings for her, or anything-!”</p><p> </p><p>“I understa-a-and. Continue.”</p><p> </p><p>Abe stops the beginning of his panicked monologuing and continues with a sigh. “So, yeah, I uhm, kinda had feelings for her. They had been developing for a while, but before the S-E-X, I just… I couldn’t go through with it, a-and I ran out to go find Joan and confess my feelings! But…” He hesitates, not wanting to accept the crushing blow to his ego: Joan sleeping with the biggest jerk in school. “But she had been sleeping with that asshole JFK. Still, I tried to confess my undying love to her, but it just all… ends there. I-I don’t know what happened after that,” he concludes, rubbing his arm anxiously. He’s been open about his feelings before, sure, but not so raw and… weird and gross like this. He expects the vice principal to laugh or side with him, but instead, he just sits there, thinking, until..</p><p> </p><p>“And how did that all make you fe-e-elll?” Mr. B probes, his awkward eyes still fixed on Abe.</p><p> </p><p>Abe, not expecting that kind of question, just shrugs. “I guess it made me feel… upset. I feel bad for what I did to Cleo, but-but what the hell was Joan doing with JFK?! That was super mean to do! And really, is what I did all that bad? I mean, people say you have to follow your heart and that’s what I did and-”</p><p> </p><p>Mr. B stops him. “What you did, I would not say was bad, but was, in your kids terms, ‘very unco-o-o-ol,’” he says, stopping Abe dead in his tracks. He was the one in the wrong?</p><p> </p><p>“But-But how, I-”</p><p> </p><p>“What started to make you feel attra-a-acted to Joan?” He questions, causing a raised eyebrow from Abe.</p><p> </p><p>“Wh-What does that have to do with-” Mr. B raises an eyebrow and Abe reluctantly responds. “Well, I had been really committed to getting her a prom date, but after she got this totally sexy makeover, that’s when I started having feelings!”</p><p> </p><p>Mr. B nods, proceeding to drop a bombshell that shakes Abe to his core. “Are you only attracted to her because of her bea-u-uty?”</p><p> </p><p>Abe sputters, offended by the notion that he would be so shallow. “Wh-What?! Of course not, she’s… loyal and kind and tough-”</p><p> </p><p>“Joan has always been that way, Abe. Nothing changed aside from her appea-a-arance.” </p><p> </p><p>“N-No, but… but-” Abe growls, clutching his head. “I-I’m not like that, I- I felt attraction because of her sexiness and her beauty and… and..”</p><p> </p><p>“Then what about Cle-o-o-o? Why did you feel attraction to her-r-r-r?” Mr. B probes, metaphorically stacking the cards against him. </p><p> </p><p>“Because she’s-she’s beautiful and… hot and-” Mr. B just shakes his head</p><p> </p><p>It was all coming together, like a puzzle piece that just fit right into its shape. It wasn’t satisfying, though: it was shameful. Someone had splashed a bucket of ice cold water on his head and that water was the bitter, ugly truth.</p><p> </p><p>Abe had become what he said he wouldn’t be, what he says he isn’t like, what he believed his clone father wasn’t like: a shallow man wanting girls only for their beauty.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t believe it… All this time…” He throws his arms in the air dramatically. “My whole life has been a lie!” </p><p> </p><p>Mr. B sighs, doing the robotic version of a faceplant. “Your whole life has not been a lie, Abe.” The clone looks at him, shocked. “You are simply a teenage bo-o-o-y. These feelings towards girls are no-o-o-ormal, but that does not mean you act on them.”</p><p> </p><p>Abe snaps, clearly frustrated by the vagueness of the butler's tone and the guilt gnawing at him every second. “Then what the hell does it mean?! If they’re normal, but bad, then what do I do?!”</p><p> </p><p>“It means you work on the-e-em. You know what is right and wrong,” Mr. B answers. He gives Abe a hopeful smile. “You are a good person, A-a-a-be. We all make errors in our lives and that is oka-a-a-y. Leaving Cleo like that wasn’t ri-i-ight, neither was leading Joan o-o-on. However, you can apologize to both of the-e-em.”</p><p> </p><p>“But what.. what if they don’t forgive me?” He can’t imagine losing one of his best friends. The thought of it cracks his soul into two and leaves him hollow. He swallows, anxiously anticipating the answer.</p><p> </p><p>“That is ok, to-o-o-o. Leave them alone the-e-en,” he says, and Abe shoots a disappointed, defeated look. “It will hurt, but it is the best optio-o-on. They will need time to think and if they never seem to forgive you, that is ok, also-o-o-o.”</p><p> </p><p>Abe blinks, pouring over the words the robot just said. Work on his feelings? Apologize to Cleo and Joan? He sighs, staring down at his blanketed lap. That sounds like a lot of work, but… if it’s the right thing to do, then by golly he’ll do it!</p><p> </p><p>His eyes widen, suddenly remembering Joan and JFK. “Wait, but- I still can’t believe Joan slept with JFK! That… what about that, Mr. B?” He wants to become better, but instinctively, he’s trying to scratch the surface for some sort of deflection off of his mistakes.</p><p> </p><p><em>I can’t believe it, either</em>, Mr. B thinks to himself, but nevertheless, he answers. “No. She is allowed to make her own cho-o-oices. It is natural to be jealous or, perhaps, bitter, but it is none of your busine-e-ess, Abe.” Once again, another bitter truth he couldn’t worm his way out of. The clone signs, rubbing his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re right… It was stupid of me to-to try and pin it on her or whatever..” He sighs, finally coming full force to his new objectives. “I… I’m sorry,” he mutters, looking at Mr. B guiltily.</p><p> </p><p>“It is ok, Abe. Now you know and can become bette-e-er.” The clone smiles, appreciative of the vice principal's kindness and, well… brute honesty. He sighs for what feels like the millionth time that day. Becoming better, apologizing, evaluating feelings...</p><p> </p><p>“I have a lot of work to do, don’t I?” Abe blurts out, staring at the wall. </p><p> </p><p>“You won’t be graded on it,” he says, causing Abe to let out a small laugh, much to the niave robot’s confusion. “I wasn’t making a joke-”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Mr. B. You’re so funny!” He smiles and crawls out of bed, stumbling for a second, then awkwardly hugs the robot. Mr. B’s antenna shoots up in shock, the lack of physical affection in his life and the surprise at Abe, of all people, hugging him, making him stunned into silence.</p><p> </p><p> “And uh, thank you… For the help, I mean,” Abe clarifies, his spindly arms letting him go of the silent robot after a few moments. </p><p> </p><p><em>He’s nice but… yeah, still a little weird</em>, Abe thinks.</p><p> </p><p>--------</p><p> </p><p>Later that day, Abe emerges from the bathroom dawning his classic baseball t shirt and brown jeans. That hospital gown was icky and definitely too small for him. It felt good to be back in his normal clothes!</p><p> </p><p>“Are you ready to go?” His foster parents ask, standing by the door with Mr. B. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, Mom! I’m coming,” he responds, in the middle of tying his shoes. His parents nod and leave, Mr. B remaining at the door.</p><p> </p><p>“Have a good day, Abe,” Mr. B says as Abe walks towards the door. “Let me know if you need anything.”</p><p> </p><p>“Will do, Mr. B! Oh, and uh- thanks again, by the way,” he says, looking down at him with a smile and giving him a pat on the head. </p><p> </p><p>He stares off into the open door way, feeling unsure. He was a bachelor, but even more daunting, he was a teenage boy about to face his mistakes and become a better person. It was… daunting, but he doesn’t want to be a shallow jerk like how he’s been acting. He wants to be a good person, like the honest Abe Lincoln he was supposed to be! With a newly determined look, he swiftly exits the room, but not before turning around in the hall to ask one more question.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I never asked… why was I here, actually?” He tilts his head, scratching at his scalp with a puzzled expression.</p><p>Mr. Butlertron freezes, a bead of sweat dripping down his metallic face. What was he supposed to say again? He forgot… again, also.</p><p>“It's not important," he says, darting his eyes nervously around the room. "Goodbye, Abe,” he promptly says, and swiftly slams the hospital door shut.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry the ending is kinda rushed. i got tired but i wanted to finish it tonight. my insta is somegoreyfantasy</p></blockquote></div></div>
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